New book: The man who invented the bioeconomy

The Eni of Enrico Mattei, the great vision of Adriano Olivetti: in the industrial history of Italy we too often find ourselves, in retrospect, regretting the enormous opportunities lost due to the resistance to change by the “country system”. The intertwining of interests between politics, economics and finance has often played a key role in marginalizing and failing the most innovative industrial projects, those that could redesign the face of the Italian economy and society. Today we sadly pay the price and for this very reason it is important to rewrite the history of another great innovator, perhaps the only one who has not been hypocritically “beatified” after his death, and after the destruction of his project: Raul Gardini.

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Mizuno launched a new bio-based version of its iconic “Wave Rider” shoe range

Mizuno, the famous Japanese brand specializing in technical footwear and clothing, launched a new version of its iconic “Wave Rider” shoe range, the Mizuno Wave Rider 24. This shoe features Mizuno’s new “Enerzy midsole technology” with their classical “Wave Plate” embedded in the foam. This wave plate is made with our Pebax® Rnew® polymer, a bio-based thermoplastic derived from castor beans.

Mizuno Wave Rider 24

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NextChem and Crédit Agricole Leasing joined forces for the circular economy


Crédit Agricole Leasing Italia confirms its commitment to promoting sustainable initiatives by supporting NextChem, the Maire Tecnimont Group company for the energy transition, in the activities of the subsidiary MyReplast Industries, a company specialised in plastic waste Upcycling. Crédit Agricole Leasing Italia financed a leasing plan to purchase innovative equipment and machinery aimed at further increasing the production performance of the entire Upcycling process.

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The European Forest Strategy takes a step forward

European Parliament, Brussels

Last Thursday the European Parliament gave a “go” to the Com Agri Report prepared by MEP Petri Sarvamaa on the “European Forest Strategy – the way forward”. This plenary vote sent a positive signal for forest owners and managers and the 4 million workers involved in the forestry value chains. 

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Avoury launched first tea capsules made using Sabic’s Trucircle solution for certified circular polypropylene

Avoury®, the new brand launched by Melitta Single Portions, is working with SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio of solutions and services to create its pioneering new premium organic tea capsules, made from certified circular polypropylene (PP) that uses feedstock made from used plastic. The launch represented an innovative use of recycled, transparent plastic tea capsules in the industry, representing an exciting step towards a more sustainable future with products which are easier to recycle and that help to create a circular economy for plastics.

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DSM acquired Erber Group for a value of €980 million

Headquarter of Royal DSM in Heerlen (The Netherlands)

Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, acquired Erber Group for an enterprise value of €980 million. The transaction – which excludes two smaller units in the Erber Group – is expected to be earnings enhancing in the first year upon completion.

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The EC announced at IFIB in Rome the first closing at €82 million of the ECBF

The European Commission announced last Thursday, during the International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy which was held in Rome, the first closing at €82m of the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF), the first equity fund focused on the bioeconomy and on circularity in the EU and Horizon 2020 Associated Countries under management of the ECBF Management GmbH. The European Investment Bank (EIB), which committed to invest a total of €100m to the target size of the ECBF of €250m, raised €65m in the first closing, the rest came from private investors.

Michael Brandkamp, Head of ECBF in Rome at IFIB

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Rome is the world capital of bioeconomy. Today is the first day of IFIB

Rome is the world capital of the bioeconomy for a couple of days. The International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy (IFIB) starts today in the Eternal City and is both physical and digital because of the Covid19 restrictions.

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SABIC launched a sustainable packaging solution for frozen food

SABIC, a global leader in diversified chemicals, launched a sustainable packaging solution for frozen food which combines a new polyethylene (PE) grade with innovative film production technology. Compared to conventional blow PE film solutions, it offers significantly higher throughput and also has potential for down-gauging, making it attractive from both a commercial and sustainability standpoint.

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Finnish engine manufacturer AGCO Power goes green with Neste

Source: http://www.neste.com

AGCO Power, a Finnish engine manufacturer will start using Neste MY Renewable Diesel at its plant in Nokia, Finland. The fuel will replace fossil fuels in all internal logistics vehicles before the end of 2020. Neste and AGCO Power will also work on a joint research project to develop an automatic fuel identification system.

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